The web is abuzz with rumors today that Microsoft could be buying the popular VoIP service Skype.
Skype is a world-wide communication program that allows users to chat with either text, voice or over video completely free of charge. It has been steadily climbing in popularity for years now and has recently received somewhat of a boom when it finally freed itself from an exclusivity agreement with Verizon.
Since then Americans have been able to join the Skype revolution on both their iPhones and Android devices.
Skype, unlike many other programs and apps, allows users to voice chat for free even over 3G networks, rather than relying solely on WiFi. It's popularity could stem from its reliability and clear voice service, as well as its conference video calls that were added in a recent update.
Now it looks like Microsoft, a recent competitor in the global cell phone market with its Windows Phone 7 platform, is going to acquire Skype for a cool $7 billion. This definitely smells like a play at competing with Apple's FaceTime and Google's new Google Talk functionalities for their cell phones and tablets.
Despite all this news we doubt that we'll see any Skype integration (assuming the rumor is true) in to the Windows Phone 7 platform for some time yet, as they're set to announce the Windows 7.5 update in just two weeks - not nearly enough time to make any solid promises concerning a deal that hasn't even been finalized yet.
It's good to see that Microsoft is (or may be, depending on how solid you think this rumor is) still taking the WP7 platform seriously. It is, after all, an operating system with a lot of potential and while it's still got more than a few kinks to work out we hold high hopes for its future.
What do you think, do you think this acquisition will change Microsoft's standing in the mobile market in any major way? Or will they have to implement some even bigger changes before you'll take them as a serious competitor for Android and Apple?
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